Near to You
by Susan strong
Summary: A collection of one-shots involving Thor and my OC, Zelda Benningfield. The topics will vary—may hint at, or go into, my Thor story "Counting Stars." This may not be the best summary, but hopefully the stories make up for it!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Your Walls Are Up; Too Cold To Touch It

I was curled under my covers, all the blinds closed so no light came in. I wasn't in the mood to be dealing with anyone today. I don't even think Thor noticed my mood, and he normally picked up on when I wasn't really myself. He simply got up, dressed, and acted like it was another day at Stark Tower. Though I did pretend to be asleep.

The moment I was sure Thor was far enough from our room, I used my telekinetic energy to shut the door.

I wanted quiet.

Closing my eyes, I tried forcing myself to go back to sleep. I wanted to have a nice dreamless sleep and just have the day pass by without anything going on! It wasn't a lot to ask for, but I wouldn't have minded it.

Except I couldn't go back to sleep. My mind was spinning with all these thoughts and memories and heartache. Why? It was fifth anniversary of my brother's death. Out of the five years my brother, Damien, had been dead, I'd never felt this bad about it before—at least not for a few years. I had gone to therapy to help with the depression—it got bad at some points and I was terrified on what I'd do—but lately, I've been able to handle the depression and any other negative emotion that came with it.

But for some reason, I felt like absolute _shit_.

 _Maybe it's because everyone else is so happy,_ I thought solemnly. _It's just another day for them._

It was something to consider.

I snuggled further into the blankets, burying my face into my pillows.

A soft knock on my bedroom door made me silently groan. "Go away," I called.

"Zelda," Thor's door rang out, "I brought you breakfast."

"I'm not hungry."

There was a moment of silence on the other end.

Before I even had a moment to react, the door was thrown open and I saw Thor standing there, balancing a tray of food in one hand. I groaned, pulling the blankets over my head. "I'm not in the mood," I muttered.

I heard Thor's heavy footfalls come into the room before I felt a dip on the side of the bed. Thor gently removed the blankets from over my head and gently brushed some of my dark brown hair away from my face.

"Today is his anniversary," Thor murmured. I looked up at him. "I remember you talking about it. I wanted to figure out something to help you keep your mind off it."

"It's fine," I sighed. "Thanks anyway."

Thor adjusted himself on the bed so he was sitting against the headrest with me laying my head across his lap. For a couple minutes, neither of us said anything. Thor gently brushed hair away from my face and I tried figuring out ways to keep myself occupied. That was when I really started to smell the food that was brought in.

"Are those pancakes?" I asked, looking up at Thor.

He nodded, the corners of his mouth turning up into a small smile. "Sam made them," he murmured, brushing his hand against my cheek.

I felt something stir in my chest. "Do they have bananas and pecans?" I murmured, squirming a little. He nodded again. Sam made the best banana pecan pancakes—so when it came to his turn to make breakfast, whenever he visited, I always asked if he could make them for me. Sam found my appreciation for his cooking to be humorous and heartwarming, so he'd always say yes.

Slowly sitting up, I stretched a little before Thor handed me the tray of food. I felt a childish happiness bubble up in me when I saw how many Sam had made fore me.

"I asked him to put extra pecans and bananas in them," Thor rumbled, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

I gave the demigod a slight smile. "Thank you," I murmured. "I'll have to thank Sam, too."

O.O.O.O

By the time I finished breakfast, Thor somehow managed to convince me to join him and the others in the rec room. Thor took my dishes and told me to wait for him while he washed them.

"Why're we going to the rec room?" I murmured. I had one of the blankets wrapped around me, not having even bothered changing out of my pajamas.

Thor looked back with a smile as he put the last of the dishes away. "Stark said something about showing a film to Steve," he said.

It had become custom to show Steve as many movies and television shows—whether modern or classic—as possible. So far, Steve had gotten himself entangled into the _Harry Potter_ series. While there was some arguing on having Steve see the movies before reading the books, or reading the books before seeing the movies, Steve said it didn't really matter to him which he did first. Somehow it ended with the films being first, the books second.

I followed Thor to the rec room, where the lights had been dimmed and everyone had found a comfortable place to sit somewhere in the room.

"Nice of you to join us," Tony exclaimed, feigning exasperation. "Now we can get this party started."

Sitting beside Sam, I kept my blanket wrapped around me while Tony got the movie set up.

"You OK?" he murmured, nudging my shoulder.

"I'm getting there," I sighed. "Thanks for the pancakes. I really loved them."

Sam chuckled. "Anytime," he said.

Thor sat next to me after a moment. I leaned my head on the demigod's shoulder and we all quieted when the movie started. It ended up being a better distraction than lying in bed all day.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **If this was weak or poorly-written, I apologize. Let me know if there's any way I could improve it. Otherwise, I'll continue with this the best I can.**

 **Nothing in 'Marvel' is mine. All I own are my characters and the air conditioning in my home.**

 **For anyone who hasn't read my Thor story 'Counting Stars', I'd suggest reading that and then possibly reading the Avengers sequel 'Let the Flames Begin Rewritten'. While there may not be a lot of Thor/Zelda moments in those stories, it kind of gives an idea on how their relationship got started and how it's progressing.**

 **The little title that came after** Chapter 1 **is from the song 'Love Lost'. After each chapter heading, I'll have a little song lyric, though I have a feeling it probably won't matter to you guys.**

 **If you guys decide not to read my Zelda stories, I'll give you a brief description on my OC, Zelda Benningfield.**

1\. Zelda is a telepathic/telekinetic Mutant.

2\. Her parents kicked her out of the house after finding out.

3\. She's good friends with Jane, Darcy, and Selvig.

4\. She is an Avenger.

5\. Zelda, at this point in her little series, has limited control over her telekinesis.

6\. Zelda's appearance: dark brown hair; medium build; she's in decent shape; brown eyes; relatively pale skin; tiny compared to the others.

7\. Her older brother, Damien Benningfield, died in the Military [he died from Stark's weapons].

8\. Read the stories to find out more.

 **Before I wrap this up, let me know if you've got any ideas on future one-shots for this story. I'll be happy to include them.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please!**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: You've Got to Learn to Reach Out There and Grab It

* * *

 **Author's Note: This chapter will be going back to my first Zelda story, 'Counting Stars'. It'll serve as a kind of filler for that story.**

* * *

"Thor?" I called. I was at Jane's apartment—she called me over to help her with her research. Since Thor managed to retrieve her journal from those people at the crater site, she'd been locking herself up in her study trying to recreate the data she'd gathered since the beginning. Thor eventually poked his head from the kitchen, a look sweeping across his face. "Hey, I was going to go do some shopping, wanna come?" I asked.

"Shopping?" he murmured, coming out of the kitchen.

I smiled. He'd only been with us for a total of two and a half weeks, and somehow his confusion on certain things always managed to make me smile.

"Yeah, shopping," I said, stifling a laugh. "It'll be fun, I promise. Do you wanna come or not?"

Quickly looking behind him, where Jane was flitting around with various paperwork and Selvig practically sprinting to keep up with her, Thor looked back at me with a small smile.

"Is that a yes?" I laughed.

"I'd be honored to accompany you," he said, smiling broadly.

"Well then c'mon," I laughed, "before Jane notices."

* * *

I decided that we'd go to the next town over for the shopping—not the one my parents live in, I tried to actively avoid that one—but the town furthest from that one. The other town had more variety when it came to clothes and food so I liked going there a whole lot better than the little town I lived in with Jane and Darcy. I certainly had no plans of moving—the thought did cross my mind on occasion, but if Jane, Darcy, and Selvig were content living where they were, I'd stay with them until they said otherwise.

I managed to snag Jane's van, somehow going unnoticed by her, and Thor and I were about halfway to our shopping destination.

"You're doing OK?" I asked, looking over at him for a minute. Since that whole ordeal with Thor going to the crater site and then coming back with a completely drunk Selvig and Jane's leather-bound book, there was something about him that was different. It had become some kind of unspoken agreement that whatever happened over there and between the two men would stay in the past. But there were moments where I'd see a look in Thor's eyes that suggested maybe talking about it would help.

"I'm fine," he murmured, but something about his voice made it hard to believe him.

Part of me was egging me to check his mind to see what the problem was, but another part of me—a more assertive side—said no, whatever happened was Thor's business. Whatever happened that knocked the cockiness out of his attitude would always be his business.

"Do you like it here?" I asked.

I felt Thor's eyes on me. "Here?" he asked.

"Yeah, with us." I quickly glanced at him before focusing on the road. "Do you like it?"

"It's nice," he murmured. "You've all been very compassionate with me—you showed a great deal of patience for me."

I tried for a smile. "It's the least we can do after hitting you with Jane's van."

Thor let out a rumbling chuckle.

* * *

After making it to the town and finding the nearest store, Thor and I got out of Jane's van and walked in. It was a hot day in New Mexico and the stale air conditioned store felt very nice. Letting out a relieved breath, I grabbed a basket and linked my arm through Thor's.

"Today you will see the glory of shopping," I exclaimed dramatically.

Thor let out a rumbling laugh. "I look forward to it," he said.

"Don't think you won't help though," I said playfully, looking up at him. "Anyone who shops with me must do their fair share."

Going to where the fruits and vegetables were first, I started going through what I needed. While I was rummaging through some tomatoes, I felt Thor's hand on the small of my back, his thumb gently rubbing it. I squirmed a little before relaxing into his touch. That was something I noticed quite often with him—he'd always subtly give small touches or maybe brush his arm or hand against me. Whether he was doing it as a method to get my attention or maybe as a way of showing something else, I had no idea.

I looked up at him curiously. He smiled sheepishly before holding up a box of Pop Tarts. I chuckled.

"You really love these don't you?" I smiled.

"They're very delicious," he mumbled, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

Taking the box from him, I put it with the other groceries I had before adding the freshest tomatoes I could find with what I had.

"Do you think you could get some avocadoes, please?" I asked, looking up at him. A look swept across his face. I did a quick description of what an avocado looked like and he nodded his head firmly before walking off. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed two women whispering to themselves. Despite my best not to get too focused on what they were doing, I ended up turning my head and looking at them. The women were whispering and softly giggling to each other, throwing looks Thor's way. It was no big surprise that, physically, Thor was _very_ attractive—I wasn't afraid to admit it—and not to mention that accent of his would make him seem even more attractive to others, but there was something about how those women were looking at Thor that made a burning sensation in my stomach. It was almost like I was jealous of the way they were looking at him. As for Thor, I had no idea if he was oblivious to them or just kindly ignoring them.

By the time Thor came back to me, he handed me the avocadoes he found—looking rather proud of himself—and I gave him a bright smile.

Out of sheer impulsiveness, I grabbed Thor's hand and led him to another part of the store. Once we were far enough away from those women, I felt the angry burning sensation go away, though it still lingered for a moment longer before actually dissipating.

"Zelda, are you OK?" Thor murmured.

I looked up at him, noticing the concern etched on his face.

"I'm fine," I muttered. It was that moment I realized I was still holding his hand—and I was noticing how huge and calloused his hand was compared to mine. Feeling my stomach knot up with another emotion, I dropped my hand from his. Thor took a hesitant step toward me, placing his hand on my back, between my shoulder blades. I gave him a small smile. "I'm thinking of a movie night tonight," I said, trying to make my voice sound lighter. "How about we get more Pop Tarts and a whole lot more food."

Thor's eyes lit up at the mention of that, but I could still see the worry underlying the excitement.

That man was certainly something else.

* * *

After dropping off the groceries at my apartment and dropping Jane's van back at hers, Thor and I walked back to my apartment, given it wasn't that far from Jane's. Once we got back to mine, we put away anything that needed to be refrigerated and got out all the junk food I bought.

"What're you in the mood for tonight?" I exclaimed. I had Thor watch the entire _Lord of the Rings_ series, which he found to be interesting. While Darcy and I continued arguing over the topic, I wanted Thor to see the reboot of _Star Trek_ , Darcy wanted him to see _Star Wars_. He hadn't seen either as a result of Darcy and I not coming to an agreement.

"What is there?" he asked, getting the food prepared.

"I've got _Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl_ , _The Hurt Locker_ , _Inglorious Bastards_ , _Thelma and Louise_..." I named off a few others before Thor told me his interest in _the Black Pearl_. After putting in the movie and getting the TV ready, I sat down on the sofa next to Thor. He put his arm around the back of the sofa where I was sitting, something I started noticing whenever we were watching something together. In that moment, I scooted closer to him and rested my head against his shoulder, his arm draping around me.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Hey-yo, everybody! Sorry if this chapter's sloppy, but here it is. Let me know what you think! If you believe I've written Thor wrong in any way, let me know.**

 **I own nothing in MCU. All I own are my characters and the shoes I wear.**

 **If you've got ideas for future one-shot ideas I could add to this story, let me know. While I don't mind coming up with new ideas, eventually I'll run out and I'll have to depend on you guys for support. While I do rely on you guys for some kind of support, one-shot ideas are very important for this little story.**

 **Don't be afraid to review or PM me.**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please.**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Today I Don't Feel Like Doing Anything

It was one of those days where no one really wanted to get out of bed, or if they did, no one really was in the mood to get anything done. It wasn't that anyone was in a bad mood or anything, it was just one of those days. A lazy day. And it seemed like everyone in Stark Tower got the memo, too. It was either someone lounging in one of the rooms in their pajamas or sweats watching some television, or it was that they'd rather lounge in bed instead.

Thor and I were lounging in bed. We weren't doing anything sexual, just laying around, sometimes talking, maybe innocent kissing, or dozing in and out of an occasional nap.

It was one of those _extremely_ rare days where aliens weren't flying out of portals in the sky, cities weren't being dropped out of the sky because of homicidal robots, and trying to find remaining HYDRA bases were pretty much done. Everything was peaceful, and we were going to enjoy every second of it.

I let out a soft sigh as I buried my face in the crook of Thor's neck. His arms were wrapped lazily around my waist, occasionally he'd play with my hair, but that wasn't often.

"Why can't every day be like this?" I yawned. It had only been a couple minutes since Thor and I had awoken from a small nap.

He let out a rumbling chuckle. "It would be nice," he murmured, "to have moments like these."

I hummed. "It's really nice you're able to stay here for a little while," I said softly.

Thor tightened his arms around me a little. "I wouldn't spend it anywhere but with you," he said quietly.

I let out a breathy laugh. "What'd I do to deserve you?" I murmured.

"You hit me with a van."

I laughed.

Adjusting so he was laying on his side next to me, Thor's blue eyes studied me closely for a solid minute before a smile spread across his face. I felt my face flush.

"What?" I chuckled. "Is there something on my face?"

One of his large, calloused hands gently brushing some hair out of my face. "No," he murmured, chuckling. "It's just hard to imagine how I could have been so lucky to have someone like you."

I tried holding back a smile, biting my bottom lip. "You're being so sappy," I chuckled.

Thor simply replied with a chuckle and a kiss.

When the kiss ended, I gave a sigh. "When do you have to go back to Asgard?" I murmured.

"Not for a while," Thor sighed, placing one of his hands on my cheek. "I told my Father I had things to take care of here on Earth. Just because there's one day of peace doesn't mean tomorrow something won't happen." I nodded wordlessly. "But I promise you I'll come back," he swore, looking at me with the utmost seriousness.

"I know." I smiled. "I just wish every day could be like _this_."

Thor nodded.

"Are you able to give little signs that you're OK while you're in Asgard?" I asked. Whenever Thor left to go back to his home, I always worried that something awful would happen to him. I was aware of how fully capable he was of taking care of himself, but that didn't stop me from worrying. "God of Thunder or not, I just want a little reassurance."

"I could be able to do something," he promised, obviously trying to hide a smirk.

"Good."

Wrapping his arms around my waist, Thor pulled me to his chest.

Snuggling a little closer, I let out a contented sigh, closing my eyes.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Hey-yo, everybody! Sorry for the short chapter, but here it is! If you've got ideas for future updates, don't hesitate to leave a review. Don't forget to tell me what you think of this chapter, either!**

 **I own nothing in the MCU. All I own are my characters and the fireworks and I bought.**

 **Let me know if you've got any ideas on possible future updates! I'm all for what you guys have to say. Your ideas are super important. If you'd rather PM me than leave a review, don't hesitate to do so. It's whatever you guys prefer.**

 **Also, as a side note, here's an early Happy Fourth of July to anyone who's celebrating it tomorrow! Be safe, have fun!**

 **Leave a kind and helpful review, please.**

 **Thank you.**

 **Susan Strong**


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